How to Scan Old Photos: A Practical 2026 Guide

A scan gives you a copy to organize, share and edit while handling the physical photograph less often. Start with the condition of the original and the purpose of the scan. No single DPI setting or file extension makes a permanent archive by itself.

Choose equipment that fits the original

A flatbed can work for a loose, flat photograph that fits on its glass. Do not force a curled print or album under the lid. For a bound album, use a supported camera setup that lets the binding open comfortably. A phone can provide a useful copy when placed parallel to the page with even light; check for glare, shadow and missed focus.

The National Archives digitization guidance warns against automatic feeders for fragile or valuable material. It also recommends keeping the originals and backing up digital files. Digitization is not a reason to discard a print.

Handle the photograph carefully

Prepare a clean workspace away from food and drink. The National Archives handling guidance recommends gloves for photographs and negatives to prevent fingerprint stains. Support the item and minimize handling.

Clean the scanner glass according to its manual. Do not treat that as permission to wipe the photograph. If a surface is flaking, stuck to another item or otherwise fragile, get preservation advice before attempting to clean, flatten or separate it. Photograph an album page in place rather than pulling a print free.

Choose resolution for the job

The Library of Congress scanning guide suggests 400 or 600 DPI for photographs intended for enlargement to 8×10 inches or more. It notes that higher settings may be unnecessary. That is a starting point for ordinary prints, not a universal requirement for every format or condition.

Scanner resolution and output pixel dimensions are related. A 4×6-inch print scanned at 600 pixels per inch produces about 2400×3600 pixels. The original's detail, scanner quality and crop still matter. Increasing the setting cannot make a blurred source photograph sharp.

Slides and negatives need equipment and settings suited to the film format. Follow that scanner's optical-resolution guidance rather than applying one number to every small original.

Keep a master and make working copies

Save an untouched master at the quality your scanner supports. TIFF or PNG can be useful lossless choices; JPEG may be the available source format and is worth preserving. A file does not lose quality simply by sitting on disk. Repeated lossy re-encoding can change it, while copying the file unchanged does not.

Keep the original scan, an editing copy and a sharing copy distinct. If you use TIFF for the master, create a JPEG, PNG or WebP copy before uploading to 43frames, which does not accept TIFF. Meet the tool's 10 MB limit without overwriting the master.

Choose color scanning when the print's paper tone or color is important to preserve. Inspect a preview and compare it with the physical photo before scanning a large batch.

Name, back up and check the files

Use filenames you can recognize, such as family-portrait-1962-original. Record names, dates and places you know; mark uncertain details as uncertain. Keep edited versions under different names.

The National Archives recommends a 3-2-1 backup approach: three copies, on two kinds of media, with one off-site. Check that your copies can be opened and retain the physical originals in appropriate storage.

Edit only a copy, and review the result

Photo restoration can process a scan for possible changes to resolution, color or damage. It costs 2 credits per image in 43frames. Upscaling is a separate enlargement operation at 2 credits per image. Neither guarantees recovery of missing historical detail, and there is no separate 43frames colorization tool.

New accounts receive 10 starter credits once, with no card required. Use one representative scan, check the cost before processing and compare the result with the untouched master. See pricing for one-time packs.

The restoration guide explains the actual controls and result checks. The upscaling guide shows how to calculate the pixels needed for a print.

FAQ

What DPI should I scan old photos at? Choose a setting for the original and intended use. For ordinary photographs intended for enlargement, the Library of Congress suggests 400 or 600 DPI. Higher settings do not repair blur.

Is it better to scan or photograph old photos? Use equipment that can copy the item without damage. A flatbed can suit a loose print; a supported camera setup can suit an album that should not be forced flat.

What file format should I save scans in? Preserve an untouched scan at the quality your scanner supports. TIFF or PNG can be useful lossless masters; retain an existing JPEG too. Make separate working and sharing copies.

How do I scan a photo stuck in an album? Do not force it free or flatten the binding under a scanner lid. Photograph the page in place with suitable support, or seek preservation advice for a fragile item.